1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of fascines used for filling gaps.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
It is well known to fill ditches with fascines comprising bound bundles of pipes in order to reduce the discontinuity sufficiently to allow vehicles and personnel to cross the ditch easily. Patent specifications EP 0149314 and GB 2045319 describe examples of such fascine assemblies which have been developed specifically to assist tracked and other vehicles such as tanks in the crossing of ditches.
A problem with existing fascines is that they are very bulky to store and transport, which limits the number that can be transported by and launched from a vehicle.
A further problem with existing fascines is that the pipes in the centre of the fascine are by necessity loosely packed to enable the fascine to conform to the shape of the ditch that it is filling, and the pipes have to be restrained to prevent them sliding out particularly while the fascine is being transported. These central pipes are normally restrained by nets at each end of the fascine the tension of the nets being changed depending on whether the fascine is being transported or deployed in a ditch. This adjustment adds to the complexity of using the existing fascines.